FAMILY THEME SONG...

This is our family theme song as we head from 2012 into 2013...

As I sit here on the New Year's Eve 2012... I feel such a HUGE variety of emotions... (Wow, how can it be possible for the Lord to create so many different emotions and for one human being to feel so many all at once!!  Yes, I am a complex creature... :)

EXTREME THANKFULNESS... for this sweet precious new gift of a child in Isaiah... and for each and every one of my kids here and in Heaven... We are so blessed!  Each one is SUCH A TREASURE TO US!!!

EXTREME WONDER... for how the Lord has knit my family together... it still AMAZES me each and every day... good old fashioned biological children, still birth, misscariage, domestic adoptions, embryo adoptions... I know some look at us or hear our story and think CRAZY TRAIN... I look and think... Wow!!!  Lord you are so good, faithfull and amazing to create our family in a way I could never have dreamed up!!

EXTREME LOVE... For a Father in Heaven who knows what is so much better for me and our family than I could ever know myself... I am so thankful that he sees the bigger picture of what is best for us!!

EXTREME DESIRE... for the Lord to take my will and make it His... Even though at times I haven't always loved the way that things have happened in our life or even liked it one bit for that matter... My hearts desire is for my will to be right in line with what HE would have for our lives... Wooh... big challenge Lord take my desires and make them what you desire for us... !

EXTREME ANTICIPATION... For what the Lord is going to do in Uganda.... I feel like I may be beating a dead horse here... but my heart is on FIRE!!!  I feel the stirriing of the Lord doing a bigger work than what I see before me and I CAN NOT WAIT for it to unfold!!! 

EXTREME JOY... for the sweet sweet things He shows and teaches me each day through my kids, friends, those around me and those I can catch a glimpse of... Lord keep our eyes WIDE open to see and appreciate the wonder in all you have for us... help us to not be too busy to notice it!!!

EXTREME COMPASSION... Our hearts are moved for the fatherless... God's heart is...There is no other way to put it...  Yesterday Louis brought me a note saying..."Let's bring home another King or Queen!"  (You would have to watch the video I posted yesterday to fully understand that!)  Now while I KNOW FULL WELL that we can't just bring someone home with us from Africa...  BUT Our hearts know that God wants children in families... I know we just brought home this precious baby and he is SOOOOOO loved!  But truly as long as there are beds in our home or room for another bed, kids who need love and a family, and we feel God saying YES this is His plan His will for our family... how can we personally say no???  

A BIT OF ANXIETY... (Gotta be honest here!)  I hate flying... truly can't stand it... I know it is irrational, but it scares the snot out of me.... I am about to board a plane for close to 20 hours of flying... Any antianxiety ideas would be much appreciated!!!  And prayers for safe travel and peace would be even more appreciated... just keeping it real! 

TOTALLY LOVESTRUCK!!!  I just got off the phone with G... and let me just say... that man continues to crack me up... that was what first attracted me to him... his sense of humor.... I am so blessed to have him to walk through this crazy life and definitely love him more now than 19 1/2 years ago when I said "I do!"

SOME DISSAPPOINTMENT for the ways we have fallen short in 2012... fallen short of loving each other more... loving our neighbor better... serving with a joyful heart... how selfish we can be at times... and so much more... But Praise God for Jesus who forgives and wipes us clean so we can start afresh!!!

PERPLEXED AND REGRETFUL... at times for the state of some of our relationships... We continue to pray for the Lord to do a wonderous work in our hearts and in the hearts of others to allow all our relationships to be what HE would desire... That is our hearts greatest desire and we pray that He would give us the strength to keep persevering and doing what He would desire even when it is hard!!!


EXTREME GRATITUDE ... (I know that is the same thing as Thankfulness:)  for the way the Lord has provided for our family!  We, never in a million years would have thought that as a Pastor's family we could adopt 3 kids in 3 years... Have a family of 9 (so far) and never have a want for anything... We are soooooo abundantly blessed in the areas of provision.... Greg works so hard...And my dad says that I can stretch a buck further than anyone he knows, but I honestly believe in my heart the Lord mulitiplies His gifts... Every time Greg comes in the door with a paycheck he proclaims boldly, "The Lord's blessings!!!"  And they are! 

The Lord has recently knocked out socks off in providing for our trip to Uganda... We all have been working really hard with photo shoots, chaotic dinner divas days... but He has blown us away in using His people to encourage and support us and we are in AWE!  Thank you friends!!!


Obviously I could go on and on... But this song truly says it all for us as a family...

Never Once did He leave us in 2012 ... never once did He leave us during the death of our child... children for that matter... He didn't leave us during cancer... during extreme lonliness and sorrow... during uncertainties in adoption journeys... during the total joys of redemptive births and unexpected blessings and surprises...  He has been right by our sides... Never once leaving us on our own...

Anything good that we have done or that has happened in our lives has purely been from Him or by Him working in us!!  Totally the Lord!!

Even through all the struggles with the scars of the battleground of this world... (And trust me my heart still bears the scars of death, sadness... and quite honestly they are incredible reminders to me of the Lord's faithfulness and His power!!!) it brings me great happiness to be able to say with JOY

He has been right by our sides... Never once moving away... Remaining faithful through it all... carrying us each and every single step of the way!! 

One thing that battlefield of this life has taught us is that we don't know the plans that He has for us... We don't know what may be around the next corner of this life... And we know fully that He will carry us through 2013, never leaving our sides... He will sustain us with it's blessings and hardships...

We don't know what tomorrow holds but we know who holds tomorrow!!!  Honestly, we are excited for the journey and advertures that the Lord has for us in 2013! 

I know this was longwinded... that is me to a tee!  Thanks for hanging with me... But truly, I never tire of proclaiming the Lord's faithfulness in our lives!!!   Blessing on your 2013 friends...

May it be a year of His constant work and grace in our lives and a year of growing closer in relationship to our amazing Savior!!! 

"Never Once"Standing on this mountaintop
Looking just how far we’ve come
Knowing that for every step
You were with us

Kneeling on this battle ground
Seeing just how much You’ve done
Knowing every victory
Was Your power in us

Scars and struggles on the way
But with joy our hearts can say
Yes, our hearts can say

Never once did we ever walk alone
Never once did You leave us on our own
You are faithful, God, You are faithful

Scars and struggles on the way
But with joy our hearts can say
Never once did we ever walk alone
Carried by Your constant grace
Held within Your perfect peace
Never once, no, we never walk alone

Every step we are breathing in Your grace
Evermore we’ll be breathing out Your praise
You are faithful, God, You are faithful
You are faithful, God, You are faithful